Letters to the Editor: Firefighting dangerous business

Sometimes I find it hard to believe smart people with educations can have such a lack of common sense.
This whole issue with firefighters’ pay is a no-brainer.

Most city employees don’t have the continuing education that a firefighter/paramedic must have to keep his or her license.

I understand that the police fill in for the dispatchers when needed; I would like to know if Clovis wants them also to fill in for the paramedics and push medication in the back of an ambulance?

The citizens and the city commissioners of Clovis should know the hazards that are in this town and pass through every day, both on tractor-trailer and railroad cars.

If we had just one hazardous chemical spill, depending on the wind, it could mean a lot of trouble.

If this ethanol plant goes in on the west side of town and they have an accident, we can forget the west side as we know it, but the firefighters would still have to go save anyone in the area or fight the fire.

Chemical fires take a lot of expertise to handle.

I suggest every taxpayer and citizen of Clovis who treasures life, their child’s well being and the nice home they work so hard for let city commissioners know how safe they feel — and show support for our firefighters before needing to call 9-1-1.

Steve Gershon
Clovis

Global warming real threat to our future
I am writing in response to the Aug. 24 editorial on global warming (“Extreme heat recorded before CO2 began rising”).

You say that you don’t presume to have all the answers. Have you looked for the answers or are you just content to join the band of naysayers, many of whom are proponents of big oil?

Climate change is real and can have such far-reaching consequences as major flooding and devastating drought all over the world. Please take the time to become more informed.

In February the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a summary of its report assessing scientific and technical information about climate change. The IPCC is a panel of top scientists from 113 nations convened by the United Nations. The report states, “Warming of the climate system is unequivocal” and is likely due to human use of fossil fuels.

The main contributor to the change in the Earth’s climate, the scientists concluded, is the buildup of carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide and other industrial emissions trap heat in the atmosphere and the gases already accumulated will remain in the atmosphere for many decades before being absorbed by the oceans, which as a result will become more acidic.

In answer to your question at the end of your editorial, “What’s the rush?” Humans have an opportunity to make changes and reduce the effects of global warming by reducing “greenhouse gases.” Please do your research and join the millions who are working to avoid catastrophe and leave a habitable planet to our children.